The Phuoc Tuong tunnel (Photo: NVA) Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – The Prime Minister has approved a project for widening the Phuoc Tuong and Phu Gia tunnels in the central province of Thua Thien Hue from two lanes to four lanes, an official said.
The project would be carried out with an investment of 1.3 trillion VND (57.8 million USD) under a BOT (build-operate-transfer) model, Hoang Ngoc Khanh, chief of the Provincial People’s Committee Secretariat, said.
Located on National Highway 1A, about 3km from Hai Van Tunnel to the north, Phuoc Tuong and Phu Gia tunnels were built in 2013 with an investment of more than 1.7 trillion VND (75.6 million USD) and opened to traffic in December last year.
Phuoc Tuong Tunnel is 345m long, and its leading road stretches 3.46km, while Phu Gia Tunnel is 497m long, and its leading road’s length is about 2.47km.
Both tunnels are 12m wide, allowing vehicles to travel at a maximum speed of 80km per hour. The tunnels are designed to withstand earthquakes of magnitude 6 on the Richter scale.
Their leading roads were also built as per the standard of delta road level 3, with a speed limit of 80km per hour.
The project, likely to start in May 2016, is expected to reduce distance and also link the economic development of the central provinces.-VNA
